The earthquake had a depth of 46.6km and hit at 10:47am universal time (11.47am BST).
There has been an increase in seismic activity in the last 24 hours along the Ring of Fire – the Pacific plate which sees the most earthquakes and most active volcanoes.
An earthquake also struck Japan’s north island last night at a depth of 67km and a magnitude of 4.4.
Japan lies in the Ring of Fire, which is a major area in the basin of the Pacific Ocean where earthquakes and volcanoes are common.
The ring stretches along a 25,000 mile arc from the Pacific Plate to smaller plates lining the Pacific Ocean.
A series of earthquakes of up to 6.8 magnitude struck off Canada’s west coast yesterday, Sunday, October 21.
The first quake with a magnitude of 6.5 was followed by one of 6.8 and another of 6.5.
Earlier this month, on Friday October 5, the Japanese island of Hokkaido was struck by a 5.2 magnitude earthquake.
In September, around 40 people were killed and another 681 were injured after Hokkaido was struck by a 6.7 magnitude earthquake.
In 2011 after a major earthquake in Fukushima, a 15-metre tsunami disabled the power supply of three reactors causing a nuclear accident.
Earthquakes are common in Japan as the country is located in an area where several continental and oceanic plates meet.
Japan is hit by about 1,500 earthquakes each year, which includes daily tremors that are rarely felt.
An earthquake with a magnitude of five on the Richter Scale is usually felt, but normally only causes minor damage.